Amulets of Protection and Texts for Fears in Antiquity

Amulets of Protection and Texts for Fears in Antiquity PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783161635496
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Arcana Mundi: A Collection of Ancient Texts

Arcana Mundi: A Collection of Ancient Texts PDF Author: Georg Luck
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801888972
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 859

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Book Description
Discover a different way to see classical civilization in this collection of ancient Greek and Roman texts on magic and the occult. Magic, miracles, daemonology, divination, astrology, and alchemy were the arcana mundi, the “secrets of the universe,” of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In this path-breaking collection of Greek and Roman writings on magic and the occult, Georg Luck provides a comprehensive sourcebook and introduction to magic as it was practiced by witches and sorcerers, magi and astrologers, in the Greek and Roman worlds. In this new edition, Luck has gathered and translated 130 ancient texts dating from the eighth century BCE through the fourth century CE. Thoroughly revised, this volume offers several new elements: a comprehensive general introduction, an epilogue discussing the persistence of ancient magic into the early Christian and Byzantine eras, and an appendix on the use of mind-altering substances in occult practices. Also added is an extensive glossary of Greek and Latin magical terms. In Arcana Mundi Georg Luck presents a fascinating?and at times startling?alternative vision of the ancient world. “For a long time it was fashionable to ignore the darker and, to us, perhaps, uncomfortable aspects of everyday life in Greece and Rome,” Luck has written. “But we can no longer idealize the Greeks with their “artistic genius” and the Romans with their “sober realism.” Magic and witchcraft, the fear of daemons and ghosts, the wish to manipulate invisible powers?all of this was very much a part of their lives.” “An excellent translation of ancient texts on the subject, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s a glimpse into the minds of the everyday people of the times and what made them turn, what made them stop, what made them look over their shoulders.” —Courier-Gazette,(Rockland, Maine) “No one currently at work in ancient magic or related fields can remotely compare with Luck for the breadth and profundity of his knowledge of the literary texts . . . or for the humility and lightness of touch with which he conveys his scholarship.” —Daniel Ogden, author of Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds

Ancient Jewish Magic

Ancient Jewish Magic PDF Author: Gideon Bohak
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521180986
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Gideon Bohak gives a pioneering account of the broad history of ancient Jewish magic, from the Second Temple to the rabbinic period. It is based both on ancient magicians' own compositions and products in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek, and on the descriptions and prescriptions of non-magicians, to reconstruct a historical picture that is as balanced and nuanced as possible. The main focus is on the cultural make-up of ancient Jewish magic, and special attention is paid to the processes of cross-cultural contacts and borrowings between Jews and non-Jews, as well as to inner-Jewish creativity. Other major issues explored include the place of magic within Jewish society, contemporary Jewish attitudes to magic, and the identity of its practitioners. Throughout, the book seeks to explain the methodological underpinnings of all sound research in this demanding field, and to highlight areas where further research is likely to prove fruitful.

Apotropaia and Phylakteria: Confronting Evil in Ancient Greece

Apotropaia and Phylakteria: Confronting Evil in Ancient Greece PDF Author: Maria G. Spathi
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1803277505
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
The belief in the existence of evil forces was part of ancient everyday life and a phenomenon deeply embedded in popular thought of the Greek world. Stemming from a conference held in Athens in June 2021, this volume addresses the apotropaia and phylakteria from different perspectives: via literary sources, archaeological material, and iconography.

Fear, Anomaly, and Uncertainty in the Gospel of Mark

Fear, Anomaly, and Uncertainty in the Gospel of Mark PDF Author: Douglas W. Geyer
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 9780810842021
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Douglas Geyer's illuminating analysis of Mark 4:35-6:56 explains why the Gospel ends as it does in the earliest manuscripts-abruptly, at 16:8, with the words, "for they were afraid." This ending, with women fleeing the empty tomb in "trembling and astonishment," has long been considered "problematic," and, in the several attempts to rewrite it, Mark 16 has become a source of unending mischief. Geyer's work draws on a vast literature of fear, anomaly, terror, and dread in the ancient world to demonstrate that this ending is a consistent, overriding theme of Mark's Gospel. In Mark we see and hear the story of Jesus through the eyes and ears of the Roman world. Geyer brings to bear the literature of that world in a way that helps his readers to understand what Mark is doing and how the story that Mark tells continues to touch his readers and hearers ancient and modern (and "postmodern"). Geyer guides the reader through a vast and uncharted primary literature, demonstrating its relevance for New Testament study. In so doing he clearly proposes a fresh and original understanding of Mark that cuts across many of the critical controversies and renews its purpose and usefulness as "good news"--Gospel--for the terrors and uncertainties of our own time.

Ancient Carved Ambers in the J. Paul Getty Museum

Ancient Carved Ambers in the J. Paul Getty Museum PDF Author: Faya Causey
Publisher: Getty Publications
ISBN: 160606634X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
A comprehensive overview of ancient ambers, the only such book in English, is now revised. First published in 2012, this catalogue presents fifty-six Etruscan, Greek, and Italic carved ambers from the Getty Museum's collection—the second largest body of this material in the United States and one of the most important in the world. The ambers date from about 650 to 300 BC. The catalogue offers full description of the pieces, including typology, style, chronology, condition, and iconography. Each piece is illustrated. The catalogue is preceded by a general introduction to ancient amber (which was also published in 2012 as a stand-alone print volume titled Amber and the Ancient World). Through exquisite visual examples and vivid classical texts, this book examines the myths and legends woven around amber—its employment in magic and medicine, its transport and carving, and its incorporation into jewelry, amulets, and other objects of prestige. This publication highlights a group of remarkable amber carvings at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Dress and Personal Appearance in Late Antiquity

Dress and Personal Appearance in Late Antiquity PDF Author: Faith Pennick Morgan
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004353461
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
This book examines the dress and personal appearance of members of the middle and lower classes in the eastern Mediterranean region during the 4th to 8th centuries. Written, art historical and archaeological evidence is assessed with a view to understanding the way that cloth and clothing was made, embellished, cared for and recycled during this period. Beginning with an overview of current research on Roman dress, the book looks in detail at the use of apotropaic and amuletic symbols and devices on clothing before examining sewing and making methods, the textile industry and the second-hand clothing trade. The final chapter includes detailed information on the making and modelling of exact replicas based on extant garments.

Healthmaking in Ancient Egypt

Healthmaking in Ancient Egypt PDF Author: Anne Austin
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004700870
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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Book Description
This book explores the health of ancient Egyptians living in the New Kingdom village of Deir el-Medina. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines skeletal analysis with textual evidence, the book examines how social factors, such as social support, healthcare access, and economic stability, played crucial roles in buffering individuals from stress and promoting good health. This is the first, comprehensive book on the bioarchaeology of Deir el-Medina including data from human remains spanning the site’s New Kingdom occupation. This book highlights how the Social Determinants of Health can be used to explain how past people maintained their health.

The Ancient Israelite World

The Ancient Israelite World PDF Author: Kyle H. Keimer
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000773248
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 823

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Book Description
This volume presents a collection of studies by international experts on various aspects of ancient Israel’s society, economy, religion, language, culture, and history, synthesizing archaeological remains and integrating them with discussions of ancient Near Eastern and biblical texts. Driven by theoretically and methodologically informed discussions of the archaeology of the Iron Age Levant, the 47 chapters in The Ancient Israelite World provide foundational, accessible, and detailed studies in their respective topics. The volume considers the history of interpretation of ancient Israel, studies on various aspects of ancient Israel’s society and history, and avenues for present and future approaches to the ancient Israelite world. Accompanied by over 150 maps and figures, it allows the reader to gain an understanding of key issues that archaeologists, historians and biblical scholars have faced and are currently facing as they attempt to better understand ancient Israelite society. The Ancient Israelite World is an essential reference work for students and scholars of ancient Israel and its history, culture, and society, whether they are historians, archaeologists or biblical scholars.

Beware the Evil Eye Volume 1

Beware the Evil Eye Volume 1 PDF Author: John H. Elliott
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498273653
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus of Nazareth makes reference to one of the oldest beliefs in the ancient world--the malignity of an Evil Eye. The Holy Scriptures in their original languages contain no less than twenty-four references to the Evil Eye, although this is obscured by most modern Bible translations. John H. Elliott's Beware the Evil Eye describes this belief and associated practices, its history, its voluminous appearances in ancient cultures, and the extensive research devoted to it over the centuries in order to unravel this enigma for readers who have never heard of the Evil Eye and its presence in the Bible.